Degrees

Ph.D., M.A., University of Denver
B.A., University of California at Santa Barbara

Main Interests

Developmental psychology; cross-cultural and cultural psychology

Research Interests

Preschool thinking, especially across cultures.

I am interested in how cultures frame the ways that minds emerge during child development. Specifically, I investigate the development of preschoolers' thinking, especially as it varies across cultures. My work examines Navajo and European-American children's thinking in early childhood, including the transition to school. Recently this work also has included the program evaluation of a preschool serving a primarily Navajo population.

Teaching Interests

Courses in human development; Cognition; Cross-cultural Psychology.

My courses over the years have covered the range of human development, from the "Infancy Across Cultures" and childhood-focused "Developmental Psychology" courses I currently teach to the "Adult Development" course no longer offered. My current First-year Seminar -- "U.S. Minority Education and Us" -- reflects my emerging interest in applied developmental issues related to culture.

Other Interests

Navajo culture; Vietnam veterans' issues.

Student Projects

Recent honors theses: Family Predictors of Preschool Friendships; The Effect of Gender and Science Attitudes on Schoolchildren's Science Fair Projects